NoPixel is a popular whitelist Grand Theft Auto V roleplaying server, founded by Mitchell “Koil” Clout as an Arma 3 roleplaying server in 2016.¹⁾²⁾ As of 2023, Clout shares ownership with Félix “xQc” Lengyel, Lucas “Buddha” Ramos,³⁾ and Jamal “Razed” Rashid.⁴⁾

In the beginning, NoPixel started out as an Arma 3 roleplaying server that began development in May 2016⁵⁾ and launched with their custom “Silverlake” map on September 9, 2016,⁶⁾⁷⁾ Roughly around May 26, 2017, NoPixel launched a Grand Theft Auto roleplaying server,⁸⁾ then it was announced that the Arma 3 server had closed around August 2017 as focus shifted onto maintaining the Grand Theft Auto V server.⁹⁾

The retroactively named “NoPixel 1.0” concluded with a server wipe on July 31, 2018, but it was immediately followed up with a notable update that marked the start of “NoPixel 2.0” on August 1, 2018.¹⁰⁾ However, do note that NoPixel was still rather obscure until the arrival of Summit1g in March 2019,¹¹⁾ creating their first boom¹²⁾ which attracted names like Markiplier,¹³⁾ Kitboga,¹⁴⁾ or Jaboody.¹⁵⁾

With the server maintaining its popularity into the emerging pandemic, “NoPixel 2.0” concluded with a server wipe on February 2, 2021. However, the “NoPixel 3.0” update on February 5, 2021 saw unthinkable highs after their trailer garnered massive attention,¹⁶⁾ which would end up drawing in a number of famous streaming personalities like xQc,¹⁷⁾ HasanAbi,¹⁸⁾ Cr1TiKaL,¹⁹⁾ Sykkuno,²⁰⁾ Valkyrae,²¹⁾ etc.²²⁾

Around August 12, 2021, it was revealed that Daniel “DW” Tracy became a full-time developer.²³⁾²⁴⁾ In 2022, “NoPixel 4.0” was first teased, as the NVE development team joined NoPixel,²⁵⁾ then “DW” was fired²⁶⁾ and initiated a lawsuit that became public²⁷⁾²⁸⁾ after NoPixel faced a slew of controversies which forced ownership to divest on May 31, 2023.²⁹⁾ A few months later, an update was being teased.³⁰⁾³¹⁾

These string of trailers would conclude with the announcement of “NoPixel 4.0” on September 22, 2023,³²⁾³³⁾ allowing “NoPixel 3.0” to conclude on December 12, 2024 with a novel five-year time skip.³⁴⁾ Shortly after, Twitch and Rockstar Games, who recently released a Grand Theft Auto VI trailer,³⁵⁾ came up with “GTA RP Week”³⁶⁾³⁷⁾ to coincide with the highly anticipated “NoPixel 4.0” on December 15, 2023.³⁸⁾

Despite the hype, “NoPixel 4.0” arguably came across as an unfinished product that was in desperate need of community feedback, with the most common point of criticism is that the server had prioritized MMO-like grinding over actual roleplay. After nine months of “NoPixel 4.0”, it was suddenly announced that “NoPixel 5.0” began development on September 23, 2024.³⁹⁾

Below is a vague list of factions that exist in NoPixel at the time of this writing, excluding businesses, medical personnel, and law enforcement.⁴⁰⁾ Some factions may only be active at certain times of day, which is often divided into “Shift 1” (EU), “Shift 2” (NA), and “Shift 3” (AU)⁴¹⁾ or “degen” hours.⁴²⁾ The list can change at any given moment, since factions can disband, rebrand, or split, and new factions can easily emerge.

^{Note: The asterisks (*) denote factions that don't officially have a color. Colors are always subject to change. There's too much fucking red.}

• In the past, NoPixel used to be lenient with copyrighted music, which enabled DJ events, on-the-spot karaoke,⁴⁷⁾ parodies, and musical insight on a character's inner machinations. Unfortunately, Twitch began issuing DMCA notices in 2020, causing NoPixel to enforce rules forbidding players from playing any sort of copyrighted music over the server's voice chat on June 7, 2020.⁴⁸⁾
  • However, NoPixel players have spawned an in-world music scene, which allows the players to use player-created music and the server to embed said music into the world. NoPixel 3.0 had mixtapes and radio stations, while NoPixel 4.0 has the “Nopify” app in addition to the radio stations.⁴⁹⁾
  • Of course, the downside is that the music would eventually become repetitive over time, so players usually keep the copyrighted music confined to their stream anyways.
• During the end of NoPixel 2.0, there was a last-second clause that characters that enter permadeath were not allowed to return in NoPixel 3.0, which caught a number of people off-guard.
• From 2020 to 2021, during the 2.0 to 3.0 transition, Facebook Gaming offered exclusivity deals which targeted NoPixel streamers on Twitch.^{50)51)52)53)54)55)56)} While the NoPixel streamers, specifically the Chang Gang members, would enter the platform's Top 10,⁵⁷⁾ most of them did not stay after their deals had expired. Some contracts, allegedly, were terminated early for failing to meet expectations.
• Around April 25, 2021, the electro house song "Empty Bed" by Saint Punk, published under the Monstercat label, became a very popular song for races and police chases in early NoPixel 3.0. Recognizing the song's immense popularity, Saint Punk would later show his appreciation for “the GTA community”⁵⁸⁾ and joked that the community owns the song.⁵⁹⁾
• Be warned that RP viewers can be aggressive and parasocial, as some do live vicariously via their preferred streamer's fictional character and react poorly when scenarios don't go their way. This has resulted in heckling (i.e. “toxic chat hopping”), spread of “meta” information despite this being a rule break, and refusal to believe perspectives that paint their preferences in a bad light exist.
• Honestly, the word “cringe” has become a meaningless word, especially considering that we're talking about Grand Theft Auto V roleplaying, so it's a bit bewildering how it's still used as an insult.
• At the time of this writing, the most noteworthy alternatives is currently: Prodigy RP, PurpleRP, and ONX. The latter two have the /r/PurpleRP and /r/RPClipsONX subreddits.

• NoPixel - The official website for NoPixel.
  • @nopixeltweets on Twitter - The offical Twitter account, mostly updates, teasers, and trailers.
  • /r/nopixel - The official NoPixel subreddit, not to be confused with the other subreddit.
• NoPixel on HasRoot - The unofficial list of NoPixel streamers on Twitch. Click “▶” for sorting options.
  • GTA RP Playlist - Another list of NoPixel streamers on Twitch, categorized by factions.
• NoPixel Wiki - The 10,000+ article wiki about NoPixel on Fandom. A bit frustrating to work with.⁶⁰⁾
• /r/RPClipsGTA - The de-facto NoPixel subreddit. Most streamers usually ban or censor mentions of this place, since the “no toxicity” rule is selectively enforced⁶¹⁾⁶²⁾ and there are biases in staff.⁶³⁾
• NoPixel on TVTropes - A list of tropes, which is non-comprehensive and not always up to date.